


A Boy and His Dog

by Writer_Geekgirl



Series: Castiel and Dean: An Apocalyptic Love Story [16]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Amnesiac Castiel (Supernatural), Destiel Promptober, F/M, Familiars, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-20 23:44:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21065180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writer_Geekgirl/pseuds/Writer_Geekgirl
Summary: In the post-apocalyptic world, Castiel's dog is not what he seems. Secrets are revealed that could tear the family apart.This work is part of a Destiel Promptober 2019 prompt series. The stories are inspired by two different word prompts each day but the short vignettes will all tie in together and weave a larger story. Each story will be standalone (for the most part).The prompts for the day are: Wild and Familiars





	A Boy and His Dog

A few days after Castiel's injury at the crypt, Dean pulled Sam aside. It had been awkward trying to explain to Castiel again who they were and what they were doing there. Castiel could remember up to the point that the boys had come through the stone circle. It was painful for Dean that his relatively new relationship was already in limbo.

Dean stared at Sam pensively, "What are the odds that Cas loses his memory twice like this?"

"Depends, Dean. Could it be a reoccurrence of what caused him to forget in the first place? He didn't exactly give us details of what happened to him. Was he hiding something?"

"Do you think he was hiding something from us?"

Sam exclaimed loudly, "He was hiding almost everything from us. All we know is that you two had a son and that we all knew each other and he's from our future. Or we're from his past. Or something like that. He's an enigma wrapped up in a taco."

"He offered to tell me, but I didn't want to know."

"Well, next time, assuming he remembers again, I suggest you take him up on the offer."

Dean scowled at him, "Bitch."

"Jerk."

Castiel's concerned voice came from behind them, "You think I'm hiding things from you?"

Dean turned toward him, "No, Cas. I mean yes, but you weren't purposely hiding things." Dean paused before he continued uncertainly, "At least I don't think so."

"And you still think I'm an angel? That doesn't seem to be an angel-like thing to do." Castiel tilted his head.

Rowena walked into the room, "Are you boys picking on our wee little angel again? Stop it."

Dean said, "Can't we just cast the memory spell on him again?"

Castiel backed away, "Spell? Again?"

Rowena looked at Castiel reassuringly, "Most certainly not. He almost blew up the bunker the last time we cast it on him, and he had already started getting his memories back. I cast that spell on his unsuspecting mind and who knows what will happen."

Dog pressed his nose again Castiel's hand and whined. Castiel scratched his ears and said brusquely, "I need to take Dog for a walk." Without another word, he headed out of the bunker.

Rowena's eyes flashed as she said, "Don't pressure him. I know you canna wait until you can play with your boyfriend again, but an angel's mind is a delicate thing."

Sam added, "Dean, be patient."

Dean growled angerly, "You're the one that wanted to take him on a stupid case. We were safe. Everything was good. Then this happens."

Sam said, "The other shoe was always going to drop, Dean, because that is what happens to us. We have to go home and take care of things. I know you are worried about me, but I need to go figure out my powers and what they are trying to tell me."

"Or we could stay here and not deal with that shit anymore," Dean retorted. "Settle down. Make friends."

"Bobby…"

"Did it ever occur to you, Sam, that Bobby gets into trouble because of us. We aren't good luck. If we aren't around there, we can't cause problems."

Sam stormed off in a huff. Rowena looked at Dean, "You can't run from the past."

"No, but you can learn from it," Dean returned and stomped off to his room.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Dean finally skulked out of his room a couple of hours later. Sam was scribbling furiously in a notebook at the library table, while Rowena was using her tarot cards. Dean asked, "Where's Cas?"

Sam looked up startled from the table, "I don't think he ever came back."

Dean pulled out his gun and checked his ammo, grabbed his jacket, and said, "I'm going to look for him."

"I'll come with, Dean." Sam stood up.

Dean checked the cars in the garage, but none were missing. "He's on foot, Sammy."

"The name's Sam, but let's go find him."

When they went out of the bunker, they were surprised that a blizzard had come in while they were in the bunker. Dean grumbled, "Great."

"Dean, I don't know if we can find him in this."

Dean grimaced but then said, "I think I know where to look, Sam."

The pair trudged through the snow. What normally was a ten-minute walk turned into twenty. But they got to the clearing in the forest. Castiel was lying unconscious in the snow with his head in a man's lap. Dean yelled, "Get away from him," and pulled out his gun. The brown-haired man looked startled and swiftly dived away from Castiel into the bushes. Dean pulled the trigger and he winged the man before he disappeared. Dean chased after him for a moment before returning to Sam who was checking out Castiel.

"It looks like scratch marks. And if you look over there, there are two bodies of dogs or shifters or something. They mauled Castiel a bit, but it looks like he took out one and Dog might have taken out the other. I don't know why he's unconscious. The wounds don't seem so bad, especially for an angel."

Dean went to the dogs' bodies. After performing a few tests with silver and holy water, he said, "Sam, I think they are just wild dogs. Maybe he just lost his footing and fell again. He's been kind of wobbly."

Dog appeared from the snow right then and whined at the boys. Dean looked at him accusingly, "Why weren't you here to protect him? Or to at least come to get us for help. Lassie saved Timmy from a well, you can too."

Sam said, "Stop it, Dean. You're going to hurt his feelings."

Dog hung his head in shame. Dean and Sam carried Castiel between them back to the bunker. Dean muttered to himself, "This is getting to be a habit."

They got Castiel into a bed, and Dean inspected his wounds more carefully. It was nothing too serious--more slashes than real bites. After they got Castiel under some warm blankets, Sam asked, "Dean, I don't think the man you shot at meant to harm Cas. I think he was trying to help him."

"He didn't have to run off like that."

"Dean, you were shooting at him."

Dean frowned and then noticed blood on Dog's fur. He crouched down. "Come here, boy. Did the dogs bite you?"

Dog stayed where he was, glaring at Dean. Sam said, "I think he's mad at you." Sam moved closer to Dog, as he looked at the wound his brows furrowed. "Dean, this isn't a bite. He got creased by a bullet. I think…"

Dean pulled out the gun and pointed it at Dog. "What the hell are you, a shifter?"

Dog transformed into the brown-haired man again. He was ruggedly handsome and looked at them nervously. "I'm not a shifter. I'm a familiar."

"Nice try, but Cas here… He ain't a witch," Dean glared.

Rowena walked into the doorway, "But I am."

Sam looked at her confused, "He's your familiar?"

"That he is. He's been with Cas for about twenty years. You should have asked Cas how long he's had Dog. You would have known he's special." Rowena smiled at them. Dog went to stand behind her. 

Dog told Rowena, "We got jumped by a pack of wild dogs. Castiel is still struggling from the last fight and passed out. I drove them away and killed two, but I was trying to help him when they showed up. I'm sorry, Mistress, for failing to keep him safe."

Sam looked upset, "Rowena, I think you have a lot of explaining to do."

Dog shifted back into his dog form and looked at Dean forlornly. Dean stood there uncomfortable. Dog took naps in his lap and on his bed. Dean tended to cuddle Dog at night. He had a moment of existential crisis before looking at Rowena, "Yeah, you have a lot of explaining to do. Can you fix him?" Dean gestured towards Castiel.

"He's just sleep. He really hasn't been at full grace this entire time. He's broken and I've been trying to give him time to heal. But you two had to take him out on a hunt and get him hurt again."

Dog whined and looked at Sam. Sam sighed and got some medical supplies to treat Dog's gun wound.

"Why, Rowena? Why did you have your familiar watching Cas?" Dean growled.

"You boys, Jack, and Castiel were my family. I wasn't there when the things went down with … the final fight before I lost you all. I couldn't stop it. But I could capture the fragments of Castiel's grace. I pulled him back together as best I could, constructed him a body, and moved him to this world."

"Why?" Dean glared at her cross-armed.

"I put him near a fairy circle; a place where the distance between realities is the thinnest. And then I laid the breadcrumbs for you boys to find him. I wanted my family back." Rowena looked at them, biting her lip. "But then, Castiel remembered things. And being the martyr that he is, he was going to send you boys back. He wasn't telling you things because he didn't want you to know the future. What's he's been searching for is a way to send you back to the point at which you entered the circle. So you didn't remember."

"Did you make him forget?"

Rowena looked guilty, "I did. Dean, I just wanted my family together. I couldn't save Jack, but I could save the rest of you. You boys are all I have." A tear trickled down her cheek. "I couldna save Mary or Jack or Fergus. But I brought you and Sam here to be with Cas so we could be a family again."

Sam glared at her, "You misled me. You lied to us."

"No, I dinna. Not really. I did everything I told you I did. I could communicate to Jacob here to keep an eye out on Cas and to protect him as best he could. I went and I lived my life until you boys found the breadcrumbs that led you here. Once you were here, I headed towards you to help. This world, it's not perfect, but the apocalypse is over and Michael won. The Michael here isn't interested in having anything to do with the humans that are left. He's happy that 80% of humanity was wiped out so that they can start again."

"Jacob is Dog?"

Dog barked once in agreement.

Dean paced for a few minutes before glaring at Rowena, "Can you put his memories back?"

"No, lad. I meant what I said that his memories and mind are fragile. Most of him is fragile. There was so little of his grace left that I almost couldn't put him back together. I was confident he could keep himself alive with zombies but as soon as you boys came here, you started pushing him and it all went to hell."

"Who are Mary and Fergus?" Sam asked.

"Mary was your mother and Fergus was my son. You knew him as Crowley."

"Mom died when I was four," Dean protested.

"She got better when you were 38 and started walking among the living again," Rowena replied. Dean looked at her suprised.

"Why would he want to send us back?" Sam asked confused.

"Well, I think he was trying to figure out how to let everything unfold the way it did but then step in at the last minute to save Jack. You see, if you never leave here, Jack is never born. So, I think he wanted to wait until Jack was born and then alter things. It's not a great thing to do, you know, alter history. So much bad can come out of trying to change time."

"But didn't you change time by bringing us here?"

Rowena smiled, "The other reality would self-correct its timeline so you never were there after the night you came here. Time is resilient given enough space. I was in another reality by that time so I wasn't trying to change my past."

"So, what do we tell Cas?"

"Nothing. It will come back to him, it always does. No matter what universe you are in, you two will find each other and know each other. I'm just hoping he'll realize that Jack is gone for good and that it's better to have you two boys than nothing, and that you'll either take us back with you or we all stay here."

Sam looked at her confused, "Were we lovers in that other place?"

"We were finding our way there, Samuel, but not quite yet. We both knew we were heading that direction but I think we were too scared to take that final step. Plus, you were supposed to kill me." Rowena huffed a small laugh.

"What?" Sam exclaimed, shocked.

"I knew I would be safe until you came back because my destiny is for you to kill me," Rowena announced calmly.

"Then why would you want me around?" Sam looked perplexed.

"Because in my long life Samuel, I never loved another man. Just you. And you, boys, despite your mistrust right now, are the only real family I ever had. I wasn't good to my son. I was a terrible mother, but to you boys and Jack, I was part of a family at long last. And I've been alone a terrible amount of time since I've lost you."

Sam wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He kissed her forehead.

"So, again," Dean asked, "What do we tell Cas?"

They heard a groan and Castiel asked, holding his head, as he struggled to sit up in bed, "Tell me about what?"

Dean gulped and turned to Castiel, thinking fast, "That Rowena and Sam are engaged. They're in love."

Castiel blinked his eyes several times and tilted his head. "Congratulations?"

Dean admonished him, "Stop passing out. Don't ever do that again."

Castiel's brow furrowed, "Ok?"

Dean added, "And don't go wandering off. You, me, Sam, and Rowena are just better together."

Dog let out a sharp bark.

Dean added again, "And Dog."


End file.
